Stranger Than I Ever Thought

The Cure “Six Different Ways”

“Six Different Ways” has the hooks and bright melodies of a pop song, but not the shape of one. There’s an awkward sway to it, like someone trying to seem casual and cool at a party but betraying their nervousness in jerky little motions and pulling on their hair. The verses and hooks come at odd intervals – the sound is always pleasurable and the mood is always perky, but it keeps you off balance and unsure of what part could be next. That’s not a bad thing, though. If anything, it just makes the best moments pop a bit more, like every time the song circles back to Robert Smith’s voice going higher on the line “I’ll tell them anything at all,” or seems to click back into focus when he sings “this is stranger than I thought.” The strangeness of it all seems to be the point of the song. It’s a little celebration of happy uncertain feelings and the joys of being surprised by the moment. The song makes you feel ready for any kind of fun, romantic weirdness.

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